Nazir 58 - 66

The various situations facing a nazir who is uncertain if he became ritually impure

Women, slaves and gentiles in regard to nezirut

The vows of a gentile

Unclear indications of a desire to be a nazir

The master's control over his slave's nezirut

Known and unknown source of ritual impurity caused by graves

The corpse found on the road

Other cases of uncertain contact with source of ritual impurity

If finding one corpse raises the possibility that there are other corpses buried nearby

Halachic doubts arising in the case of a metzora or a zav

The nazarite status of the Prophet Shmuel

Born to Leadership

Nazir 66b

"Torah scholars increase peace in the world."

This statement by Rabbi Elazar in the name of Rabbi Chanina appears at the very end of Mesechta Nazir. Although it also appears at the end of Mesechta Berachot and Mesechta Yevamot it has a special connection here to the subject discussed in the last mishna, the nezirut of the Prophet Shmuel and the Judge Shimshon.

Both of these nezirim were sanctified for the service of Heaven from their very birth. In regard to Shmuel, his mother, Channah, in her prayer for a son, declared: "I will give him to G-d for all the days of his life and no razor shall come upon his head." (Shmuel I 1:11) The angel who appeared to the mother of Shimshon and informed this barren woman that she would bear a son instructed her "no razor shall come upon his head for the child shall be a nazir to G-d." (Shoftim 13:5)

Both of these spiritual giants, points out Maharsha, were great Torah scholars from their youth and blossomed into judges of their people who were capable of establishing peace among them.

What the Sages Say

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